Bioparanoria

In the electronic age, it’s easier than at any time in history to find photographs, films, illustrations, and paintings of exotic animals. This is a relatively recent change that we are privileged to experience and it can be starkly strange to realize that the vast majority of people throughout history never knew about or saw, for example, a kangaroo. The global diaspora of large charismatic wildlife in menageries, zoos, and circuses is another fairly modern development. There are currently hundreds of giraffes in European zoos, a few centuries ago that number was zero. This is the story of Zarafa, a giraffe that proved to be a great curiosity to 19th-century Europeans and who is still the focus of fascination and remembrance to this day. Governments gifting exotic animals to other states must be one of the oldest forms of international diplomacy. Rhinoceroses and elephants were common creatures to receive such treatment, though the species that stands out in recent decades has been th...